Tenneco CEO Frissora resigns
LAKE FOREST, Ill.-Mark Frissora, chairman, CEO and president of Tenneco Inc., resigned from the company in late July to become CEO of Hertz Corp. and a member of its board of directors, Tenneco said.
The board of directors for the worldwide manufacturer and marketer of emission and ride control products and systems has established a search committee to look at internal and external candidates. Tenneco said it plans to name a replacement for Mr. Frissora within a few months.
In the interim, the board has established a four-person office of the chief executive to assume the CEO's responsibilities.
Tenneco's products include Sensa-Trac and Monroe Reflex shocks and struts, Rancho shock absorbers, Walker Quiet-Flow mufflers, Dynomax performance exhaust products, and Clevite Elastomer noise, vibration and harshness control components.
NAPA to offer holiday promotion
ATLANTA-The NAPA Under Car Sales Group is kicking off a ``What's Under Your Car This Holiday Season?'' promotion that will offer up to 100-percent refunds on dealers' gift card purchases during the holiday season.
NAPA said service dealers who buy gift cards by Dec. 31 from various retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Baby Gap, can earn money back from the purchases by buying select NAPA products by March 31, 2007.
Participating dealers also are entered into a sweepstakes with a chance to win up to $3,000 for holiday bills.
The retailers include: Applebee's, Baby Gap, Bahama Breeze, Bath & Body Works, Best Buy, Cabela's, Chili's, Gap, Gap Kids, Home Depot, JCPenney, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart.
NAPA products covered by the promotion include: rack and pinion; exhaust systems; U-joints; MaxDrive new CV shafts; new clutch, power steering, bearings and oil seals; shocks and struts; steering pumps; Bosal exhaust; Precision U-joints; and Zoom performance products.
More information on the promotion is available at www.NAPAonline.com.
NASTF updates OEM charges
ARLINGTON, Va.-The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) has updated the listing on its Web site summarizing the original equipment manufacturers' (OEM) auto service Web site access charges.
All auto makers have service Web sites offering online access to service information, including service manuals, technical service bulletins, training materials, reprogramming information and other related information.
Access charges for those OEM Web sites vary by manufacturer, according to the NASTF. To view the summary of access charges, go to www.nastf.org and click on ``Summary of OEM Service Website Access Charges.'' The organization said most auto makers currently offer subscription rates for information on all their vehicle models based on daily, monthly or yearly access. Some offer other options, such as on a per-document basis, single-model basis, etc.
The NASTF highlighted some notable changes in the new listing:
* Honda North America Inc. and its Acura Division have reduced their annual subscription rates significantly;
* Volkswagen of America Inc. and Audi of America Inc. have adopted 72-hour, monthly and annual subscription rates in conjunction with their recently launched updated OEM service Web sites; and
* Kia Motors of America Inc. now provides free access.
To access links to all the OEM service Web sites, go to the NASTF site, then click on ``OEM Service Websites.''
Arlington-based NASTF was established in 2000 to facilitate the identification and correction of gaps in the availability and accessibility of OEM automotive service information, technology training for technicians, availability of both OEM and generic diagnostic tools and equipment, the availability of vehicle security information (added in 2004), and to offer communication outreach to automotive service professionals.
Car operating costs at $150 per week
ORLANDO, Fla.-The cost of operating a passenger car in the U.S. runs 52.2 cents a mile, or about $150 a week, according to AAA, the national automobile owners' club.
The 2006 data are not comparable with previous years because AAA said it revised its survey methodology to reflect more accurately the costs associated with a wider range of vehicle choices. The study does, not, however incorporate data from sport-utility vehicles, light trucks or minivans.
The club did say that the average price of a gallon of fuel rose 15.8 percent during 2005 to $2.41, raising the impact on vehicle ownership to 9.5 cents a mile from 8.2. The study reports the cost of tires is 0.7 cents per mile and routine maintenance runs 4.9 cents a mile, or $552 over a year.
In a year, a car owner driving 15,000 miles spends $7,834 on his or her vehicle, the AAA data show.
The club now calculates costs based on averages for five top-selling passenger cars (including imports) in each of three vehicle size categories, rather than on one representative vehicle in each category as in the past.
As in the past, the study calculates the average costs of all expenses associated with owning and operating vehicles over five years and 75,000 miles of driving.